Where do Community Days meet?

Community Days meet at St. Mark’s Catholic Parish school building. It is located at 4200 Ripa Ave, St. Louis, MO 63125. All classrooms rented belong RCA.

When is the first day of school?

The first day of school is scheduled typically starts before Labor Day Parent Orientation is schedule for the evening in August and Back to School Open House is scheduled in the morning the same week. For more information check out our Community Calendar.

What time & When are Community Days?

Community days arrival time is 8:45 am and programming starts at 9 am and ends at 3 pm.

Is there outside homework given?

The goal of community days is to experience as much learning together in class as possible with no outside work needed by parent or student. The Alveary curriculum is highly encouraged to complete at home but not required. Please note in 7-8th grade single lessons in Ancient History, World History, and Nature Lore are required for students in 7th and 8th grade in order to complete the Alveary Curriculum as written. These lessons are done at your own pace.

What is required of parents?

The only real requirement of parents is support and subscribe to the Statement of faith and to affirm our programming as a whole. Additionally, parents are required to teach the “skill-based” subjects (Math & Language Arts) at home.

What are enrichment days?

Enrichment days are time spent exploring further learning together. Enrichment days are held off campus, hosted by RCA, and open to the public.

What about Math?

If a student does both Community days, a parent can schedule Math lessons to be done the three at home days of the week. A suggestion would be to think of Math as a year-round subject. Because it is skills-based, children benefit from doing it through the summer. Most curricula can easily be stretched throughout a year. Then starting the next level doesn’t require so many lessons of review.

What is narration, and why do we do it?

Narration is simply the act of the student’s telling back what he has just read.  Especially in the younger grades, this is done mostly through oral narration.  Students focus attentively on a passage from a book, and then they tell back what they remember.  There are plenty of ways to vary oral narrations; students may listen as a class and then take turns narrating what they can remember, students may read and share what they learned with a partner, students may even narrate to themselves silently.  Sometimes the students may act out what they learned, or even express their learning artistically through a drawing or by forming an object out of clay.

The purpose of narrating the lessons is to move the ideas being contemplated from the students’ working memory into their long-term memory.  The act of telling what one has learned is what allows him to treasure that knowledge in his memory and recall it at will.

What narration is not?

Narration is not an examination for the teacher to utilize in gauging a child’s comprehension. In fact, the teacher purposely stands aside during the narration, allowing the students to make their own connections between what they are learning and what they already know.

What about writing?

“…but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”  -- 1 Peter 3:15

We know that all parents desire for their children to become great communicators.  We at RCA believe that Charlotte Mason practiced an insightful, sequential approach to writing that allowed students, by the time they reached high school, to express themselves well, preparing them to enter the greater conversation of ideas in the world.  The basis of all writing is having something to say.  In the early grades, students begin telling what they have learned through oral narration.  This allows them to develop for several years the art of telling what they know. In the middle grades, students transition to some written narrations as they are able.  There are multiple other fundamental skills necessary to master before they are ready to formally express themselves. When we try to teach formal composition to students before they have learned and integrated all the preliminary skills, we do them a great disservice.  They must learn to grip the pencil properly, and while sitting still at the table. Even the angle of the paper is important. Next comes the formation of letters, words, sentences; skills which students acquire slowly, only after much practice.  Additionally, they need to consider whether the words are spelled correctly, that the subjects and verbs agree, and that the punctuation is used properly to convey the intended meaning of the sentences.  Only after all of that is learned and integrated may children successfully learn and apply the ideas of writing in a specific structure, for a particular audience. Therefore, formal composition in a Charlotte Mason curriculum begins in high school.

What about CM Streams?

Charlotte Mason’s students often studied more than one focus within a particular subject.  For example, you may have more than one stream going at once when studying science, math or history.

What about history?

When designing her schools, Charlotte Mason saw the benefit of studying several streams within the same subject.  With the Alveary, students study the history of their own country throughout their academic career.  World History study begins in 4th grade, and Ancient History is added in 5th grade. All three streams of history continue through 12th grade. History studies are chronological, with World and Home Country studies in the same time period, and are organized in a 4-year rotation. Students join on the year the whole group is on (whether family or school).  This year our history study is the Modern Year (20th Century), with American History and World History both studied in the 20th C. Next year we will cycle back to the 1st year of the 4-year cycle.

what about science?

The Alveary curriculum reflects Mason’s commitment to presenting each student with the knowledge of God, humanity, and the universe, while not promoting any particular denominational doctrine.  The following is their position on selecting science books:

“Mason took the view that science is the unfolding revelation of God's work in creation and that we are always seeking to understand by putting together theories based on what we know now and then testing them and adjusting them along the way based on new information and new understanding. Hence, with humility, we hold the current thought loosely as we know that new information can bring about changes and shifts in what is "current thought." So, with this understanding of science in mind, Mason also thought it was important for students to know what the "current thinking" in science is as well as the historical thread of thinking that has led to today's understanding. In the Christian community, there is a wide range of perspectives about current thinking and we leave that to the parents to discuss with their students. So, in the Alveary we firmly put forth that God is the creator of all. Investigating how it all works is the ongoing work of science. We seek to present the historical roots of the sciences and some aspects of current thinking in various disciplines so that all students will be prepared to engage as citizens and some as college science majors and scientists of the future. We hope this helps to understand Mason's perspective on science and hence what we are about in helping students develop their relationship with the amazing world that God has made!”

That said, it is important to note that some selections in the science readings reference time frames ranging from tens of thousands to millions of years. However, there is no specific emphasis on big “E” Evolution in the readings. When students have questions about these topics, team members are encouraged to direct further discussions to parents so that families can engage with these subjects according to their own convictions.

Why the focus on nature?

Today, many children spend little or no time in nature. There are studies referring to this deficit as Nature Depravation Disorder as children spend so much of their time indoors, on screens, at school, and in organized extra-curricular activities. This is having a negative effect on the well-being of children. At RCA, wandering through nature is an important part of our education.

In God’s Word, we read statements like, “The Heavens declare the glory of God!” (Psalm 19), and “…his invisible attributes … have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Romans 1). God’s instructions to Adam and Eve to take dominion of His Creation is more than just using Creation’s resources to build and produce, but it also means learning, managing, and enjoying God’s Creation, which is His gift to inspire us to worship Him.

The world God made is beautiful. However, our world is broken and we even see that brokenness in nature – trash is sometimes easier to notice in nature than the beauty it diminishes. Spending time in nature is an amazing opportunity to begin to see God’s created beauty in the midst of a world that needs God’s restoration. As students and Mentors spend time in nature, wandering, wondering, noticing and sharing, we hope to gain a greater heart for how God desires to redeem and restore all things unto Himself.

What about nature walks?

RCA believes that God’s creation is the beginning of wonder, drawing us into awe at the beauty, order, and majesty of God's creation. This sense of wonder stirs our hearts to worship the Creator, recognizing His power, wisdom, and goodness in all that He has made. As we worship, our hearts and minds are aligned with His truth, shaping us to walk in wisdom and live according to His ways. In this, we see that wonder is not just a fleeting emotion—it is the starting point of a deeper relationship with God, leading us to know Him more fully and reflect His wisdom in our daily lives.  RCA desires their students to grow in WONDER–WORSHIP-&-WISDOM through the weekly habit of nature study. 

During each nature walk at RCA, students are encouraged to share what they notice and wonder about along the way. Sometimes the walks are structured sometimes not however all walks end with a Mentor inviting a student to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s creation, fostering a heart of gratitude. The walk concludes with students and staff joining together to sing the Doxology, celebrating the beauty and wonder of God’s world through worship.

Do you offer scholarships?

RCA’s main priority with all money received is to invest in people and a place. Our focus is to offer scholarships, invest in leadership, and the atmosphere (building) which means we have had to make some cuts in certain areas like supplies. Scholarship will be awarded at the end of August or early September.

I am interested in the alveary at home but want to learn more about it?

Great question! You can read more about the Alveary curriculum at their website and RCA is proud to partner with a Parent Mentor who can consult with you more about the curriculum. For more information please contact us through the website.

Do I have to use the Alveary at home?

No but we highly encourage it! Each family will need to teach the Bible, a Math curriculum, Writing, and Reading. Parents may want to preview the books by watching this you tube videos.

Tell me more about what a community day looks like?

The morning will begin with Morning Adoration for all students. It will be a time of prayer and singing. Then all students will move into one of two blocks of academic learning separated by lunch and times of movement. Subjects led will alternate from heftier to lighter (i.e. History vs. Picture study). The afternoon will be spent enjoying more embodied learning like fine art and handicrafts. In summary, the community day is designed to have a morning sowing wisdom and the afternoon harvesting delight!

I am interested in mentoring. Do you offer childcare?

We are so thankful for your interest in Mentoring. We believe that the way Charlotte Mason encouraged teachers to teach allows anyone (yes even parents) to teach. Why? Two reason: the lesson plans are simple-read, narrate, and discuss and the Holy Spirit is the REAL teacher! Unfortunately, we do not offer childcare for teachers (mentors) during this time.

How do I pay for my tuition?

Tuition payments are paid monthly via ACH withdrawal starting in July and ending in May for the academic year.